Finnish method

Finland has steadily increased its alcohol consumption since the 1960s, but is now trying to reverse the trend.

After a government change, alcohol taxes have increased twice, including in 2010 a rise of 10 per cent. Consumption of alcohol fell by 2.4 per cent over the following year.

Also, the sale of drinks with more than 4.7 per cent alcohol are restricted to government-owned shops called Alko.

This means that any additional costs from tax hikes are directly passed on to consumers, instead of being absorbed by retailers.